Author: clothpaperkitchen

When I learned how easy it was to make vinaigrette at home, I was instantly converted. Why bother with preservative-filled supermarket salad dressing when you can quickly whip up fresh dressings at home using just a few key ingredients? The fun thing about salad dressing is that once you’ve figured out how to make a basic vinaigrette, you can play around with adding extra ingredients to match your meal or just to get fancy for the fun of it. Try adding in minced garlic or shallots, hot chilli flakes, sundried tomato, fresh or dried herbs and even parmesan cheese!

On the heels of my trip to the One of a Kind Spring show, I decided to jot down a few tips for anyone who isn’t familiar with the craft show experience. It can be overwhelming and I encourage any newbies to keep the following tips in mind.

Go early! Especially at smaller shows, the good stuff can disappear pretty quickly. Bonus: most shows offer a gift at the door to the first batch of shoppers.

If there is a show guide or program, make sure to grab a copy. This will list all of the vendors and will save you so much time later if you want to remember a specific booth or business name.Continue reading “Craft Show Survival Tips”→

A few days ago I enjoyed an evening at the One of a Kind Spring show with some lovely friends. I haven’t been to the show in years, opting to hit up the local, indie craft shows instead. And although this show did feel more corporate than the smaller ones I’m used to, it was a fantastic experience with lots of familiar makers and I will definitely be returning for the next one.

One of the biggest problems I’ve had with transitioning to a gluten-free diet is the lack of good bread options out there. I’ve tried a few different brands now and just find them to be incredibly bland, not to mention high in sugar and a serious hit to the wallet. So this weekend,after buying 100 different kinds of flour and starch (alright, I only had to buy 5…but it felt like 100), I was finally ready to tackle Chatelaine’s Gluten-free Multi-grain Bread recipe. Continue reading “Gluten-Free Bread Success!”→

Some of my favourite makers are women and many of them are rockstar business owners as well. Creative businesses all across Canada like Paintlounge (featured on the blog HERE) are owned by women and these business create jobs, build our communities and support the Canadian economy.

This past week, I finally had a chance to try the social painting trend everyone seems to be into. With much anticipation, my mom and I headed to Paintlounge on College St. to take a Lawren Harris inspired workshop. For those unfamiliar with Canadian art history, Lawren Harris was a member of the Group of Seven, a famed group of Canadian landscape painters. Beyond his art, Harris was a rather interesting figure. An heir to the Massey fortune, his life straddled Toronto high society and the backwoods of Canada. This Toronto Life piece paints an interesting picture of Harris (Yup! That’s a pun. You’re welcome) and is certainly worth a read. And if you are unfamiliar with the Group of Seven, I urge you, no, beg you to spend some time at the Art Gallery of Ontario enjoying their Canadian collection.

A few years back I got really into making my own cards. Like really into making cards. I jumped head first into my new hobby by buying fancy tools and tons of stamps and so so so much paper. I made cards for everyone I knew for every occasion. And although my supplies haven’t been getting as much attention lately, I do get the urge to create now and again – that desire along with a constant need to declutter my paper stash led to the creation of these fun scrappy cards. I’ve included some basic instructions below but as you’ll see from the photo, you can really play around with the basic method to make this project your own.

Do you ever find yourself in the office lunchroom drooling over your coworkers’ gourmet lunches while you begrudgingly devour your tuna sandwich? Well, I have! And if I’ve learned anything from my lunchtime envy, it’s the power of the Sunday meal prep routine.

Sundays are sacred at my house. They are for sleeping in with cats tucked in along our knees and big breakfasts. Sunday afternoons usually include naps with the dogs and some time to enjoy a good book. And Sunday evenings are for a glass of wine and prepping for the week ahead. Beyond the standard email check and laundry, I’ve started to set aside time to make 1 or 2 meals in the early evenings – usually a soup or a chilli and I’m always on the hunt for new recipes.

When my husband and I stopped eating meat, we added a block of tofu to our weekly shopping list. We didn’t want to eat too much of it what with all the focus on added estrogen from soy but once a week seemed like a good way to get some protein into our diets. The problem was, we weren’t loving it. No matter how we marinated, baked and fried, our tofu was spongy and bland.

One of my favourite things about our wedding (other than the actual getting married part of course) was all of the personal crafty touches. Thankfully, with Pinterest in it’s early, ad-free days and DIY wedding blogs popping up all over the internet, it was easy to find inspiration. In fact, I had so much fun using Pinterest for wedding planning that I kept on pinning long after the big day. Check out my board here.